This post is only similar to "Re: STARTTLS error when using HOTMAIL in Outlook Express " so I have started a new one.
Avast complained that I had SSL set for Yahoo.co.uk and two Hotmail accounts and so it couldn't check messages.
I removed SSL for Yahoo in Outlook and it worked. However removing SSL for hotmail.com and hotmail.co.uk accounts did not.
I checked the advanced SSL setting and Avast had inserted two account lines for yahoo.co.uk as yahoo.com, but nothing sensible for hotmail only an xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx direct server address which may be the hotmail server.
Hotmail actually uses pop3.live.com port 995 and smtp.live.com port 25 for both hotmail accounts (hotmail help confirms this) which are the settings I use in Outlook.
I inserted two entries as above, but it doesn't work for either pop or smpt. Just in case of cache problems I rebooted.
I also tidied up and only had the 4 lines, 2 for yahoo and 2 for hotmail, my main ISP does not use SSL and there were a couple of spurious lines for some reason which had no data in common with any account. Everything worked except hotmail.
At this point I have restored SSL in outlook until a solution emerges.
